Operation Projecthttp://operationproject.com
We make stuff, for people.Wed, 04 Feb 2015 19:20:41 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.3Mobile UX Guideline: For Every Animation, an Equal and Opposite Gesturehttp://operationproject.com/2015/mobile-ux-guideline-for-every-animation-an-equal-and-opposite-gesture/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mobile-ux-guideline-for-every-animation-an-equal-and-opposite-gesture
http://operationproject.com/2015/mobile-ux-guideline-for-every-animation-an-equal-and-opposite-gesture/#commentsWed, 04 Feb 2015 19:20:41 +0000http://operationproject.com/?p=1007Continue reading →]]>It started with small, optional interactions like swipe menus and pull-to-refresh — things without which a user could get by. But more and more apps are relying on gestures beyond the tap for their primary interactions. Flingable cards, edge swipes, and draggable side menus are now the norm, and that norm continues to evolve.

In the short term, this creates confusion as patterns conflict and change. But that’s the inevitable cost of progress in a relatively new space. Over time things will settle down; and while it would be premature to codify human interface standards, we can start to write some guidelines. Here’s my first, inspired by Newton’s Third Law of Motion…

Aspiring to beauty in our designs is admirable. But it doesn’t guarantee usability, nor is it a product or marketing strategy. Like “simple” and “easy” before it, “beautiful” says very little about the product. How many people, fed up with PowerPoint, cry out in frustration, “If only it were more beautiful”?

I’m thrilled to announce Stky 2, a major update to my to-do app for iPhone. Stky is the to-do list that saves you from yourself, letting you start each day fresh — even if yesterday didn’t go as planned.

]]>http://operationproject.com/2014/stky-2-your-daily-sticky-note-now-with-siri-integration/feed/0A Smart Watch I’d Actually Wearhttp://operationproject.com/2014/a-smart-watch-id-actually-wear/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-smart-watch-id-actually-wear
http://operationproject.com/2014/a-smart-watch-id-actually-wear/#commentsMon, 30 Jun 2014 15:27:35 +0000http://operationproject.com/?p=821Continue reading →]]>I’ve started wearing a watch again. I was sick of fishing my phone out of my jeans just to see the time. I also missed the opportunity for self-expression that comes with a piece of jewelry.

So I bought a Cadence 4-Bit two years ago, and have been wearing it ever since…long enough that I feel naked without it. It suits me stylistically, and I love that it’s secretly geeky.

In late 2012, we decided to launch Emu on Android first. It went against the conventional wisdom at the time, but we saw a real advantage. Sixteen months later, we’re back on iOS: Emu for iPhone launched on April 2. Here’s why Android didn’t work out for us and why you should think carefully before going Android-first.

As a child, I read Dr. Seuss’ The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins— the story of a boy who, no matter how many hats he removes, always finds another underneath. Founding a startup is a little like that. You knew you’d be wearing multiple hats — playing multiple roles — but their sheer number, and the difficulty of juggling them all, catches you by surprise.

In 2012, I missed a meeting. The founder of a well-known tech company had emailed me, asking to meet up. We’d picked a time, scheduled it, and…I’d forgotten to put it on my calendar. By the time I realized, it was too late.

I’ll never know why this tech celebrity wanted to chat. Add it to the list of embarrassing moments that bubble up to the surface when my guard is down.

This has happened to me more than once — and, I suspect, to you as well.
Not every problem has a technological solution. But I couldn’t help thinking this one did. Read the rest at Medium →

What if we could avoid politics entirely? Today’s tech entrepreneurs, accelerators, and investors are doing just that. They’re replacing messy politics with “brutal honesty.” In the words of Entrepreneur.com’s AJ Agrawal,

When you join an accelerator, feelings get left at the door and functionality rules the day. If you can’t take the critical heat, you may think twice about stepping foot [sic] into the Accelerator kitchen.

These techies are sidestepping the emotional “squishiness” that dictates we be nice to each other, that requires us to tiptoe around each other’s feelings. This is a more rational, efficient, and effective approach to business.

]]>http://operationproject.com/2014/brutal-honesty-doesnt-work/feed/0Hatching Emu: Making Technology That’s Actually Helpfulhttp://operationproject.com/2013/hatching-emu/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hatching-emu
http://operationproject.com/2013/hatching-emu/#commentsWed, 13 Nov 2013 18:46:09 +0000http://operationproject.com/?p=595Continue reading →]]>A year ago, I teamed up with my co-founder, Gummi Hafsteinsson, to found Emu. Our mission: make technology into the labor-saving device we always meant it to be, by building a smart, contextual assistant into everyday tasks. We started with texting, and launched Emu for Android last month. An iPhone version is just around the corner. Though our story is still being written, we’re pysched to start telling it.

When we first created Emu, we didn’t set out to build a messaging app. Our passion is both simpler and broader: creating products that simplify people’s lives. And for the past decade or so we’ve been convinced the answer lies in a marriage between great user experience and really smart technology. That’s why we’re so excited about Emu: both of us are product people, but Gummi’s background is steeped in machine learning and natural language processing, while Dave’s is in UX and design.

How do you simplify through technology? Take daily tasks; analyze and understand them; and reduce the effort required to complete them. (Maybe add some beauty and delight along the way.) We succeed, not when you’re mesmerized by our app, but when you can put your phone away two minutes sooner and get back to your life. Or when you feel more organized and in control because our product helped you get there.